TODAY is the anniversary of the death of BobbY Sands on the 1981 H-Blocks Hunger Strike. Bobby's most famous poem from that titanic struggle between Irish republican political prisoners and the might of the British prison regime, the British Government and collaborator forces ranged against them.
The Rhythm Of Time
By Bobby Sands
There’s an inner thing in every man,
Do you know this thing my friend?
It has withstood the blows of a million years,
And will do so to the end.
It was born when time did not exist,
And it grew up out of life,
It cut down evil’s strangling vines,
Like a slashing searing knife.
It lit fires when fires were not,
And burnt the mind of man,
Tempering leadened hearts to steel,
From the time that time began.
It wept by the waters of Babylon,
And when all men were a loss,
It screeched in writhing agony,
And it hung bleeding from the Cross.
It died in Rome by lion and sword,
And in defiant cruel array,
When the deathly word was ‘Spartacus’
Along the Appian Way.
It marched with Wat the Tyler’s poor,
And frightened lord and king,
And it was emblazoned in their deathly stare,
As e’er a living thing.
It smiled in holy innocence,
Before conquistadors of old,
So meek and tame and unaware,
Of the deathly power of gold.
It burst forth through pitiful Paris streets,
And stormed the old Bastille,
And marched upon the serpent’s head,
And crushed it ‘neath its heel.
It died in blood on Buffalo Plains,
And starved by moons of rain,
Its heart was buried in Wounded Knee,
But it will come to rise again.
It screamed aloud by Kerry lakes,
As it was knelt upon the ground,
And it died in great defiance,
As they coldly shot it down.
It is found in every light of hope,
It knows no bounds nor space
It has risen in red and black and white,
It is there in every race.
It lies in the hearts of heroes dead,
It screams in tyrants’ eyes,
It has reached the peak of mountains high,
It comes searing ‘cross the skies.
It lights the dark of this prison cell,
It thunders forth its might,
It is ‘the undauntable thought’, my friend,
That thought that says ‘I’m right!’
Rithim an Ama i nGaeilge
Tá guth i gcroí an duine,
An eol duit cad é féin?
Is ann dó ó thús ama,
Beidh sé linn go deireadh ré.
Rugadh é sularbh ann don domhan,
De phréamh na beatha é,
Ghearr sé anuas féithleoga an oilc
Le scian ghéar.
D’adhain sé tine sa dorchadas
A chuir lasair faoinár gcroí,
Dhein cruach de luaidhe na hintinne
Go síoraí.
Chaoin sé cois uiscí na Bablóine
Is nuair a bhí an dóchas gann
Scréach sé as corp réabtha
A bhí céasta ar Chrann.
Chuir an leon is an claíomh chun báis é
Sa tSean-Róimh fadó,
Ach ba chlos an focal Spartacus
Gan aon agó.
Le Wat Tyler sea do mháirseáil sé,
Chuir sceimhle ar thiarna is ar rí
Sceimhle a sheas ina súile
Mar mharbh-lí.
Aoibh air, naofa saonta,
Roimh an Conquistador,
Ceansa is neamheolach
Ar chumhacht an óir.
Réab sé trí shráideanna Pháras
Is d’ionsaigh an sean-Bhastille,
Shatail ar chloigeann na nathrach
gur fhág sé í gan bhrí.
Leagadh é ar Mhá na mBuabhall,
D’fhulaing ocras is plá,
Cuireadh a chroí i nGlúin Leonta -
Ach tiocfaidh a lá.
Ba chlos a liú thar lochanna Chiarraí
Is é ar a dhá ghlúin,
Is maraíodh é, a dhorn san aer,
Le croí fuar.
Is faightear é i lóchrann dóchais,
Níl teorainn lena réim,
I gcroí gach treibh is cine
Faoin ngréin.
Scréach na laochra ar lár
I súile na dtíoránach,
Ag réabadh trí na spéartha
Go dtí na beanna arda.
Soilsíonn an cillín uaigneach seo
Lena dhóchas, lena neart,
An smaoineamh úd, dochloíte
Below is and account of Nazi Fascism, sponsored by
the British in Occupied Ireland, post Peace Process. A Proper Peace Process has Truth & Reconciliation, followed by Consent as in South Africa. Obviously there are many dark secrets, that are afraid of the Light of Day. This is the Blueshirts all over again, albeit in a slightly more covert form. This is NOT, what Irish Freedom Fighters died for. On the Anniversary of the murder of Bobby Sands, we can be eertain, that He and his 9 comrades, did not give their lives for this. Ireland and the Process are as sick as it's secrets. The Internment of Dee Fennell and his comrades, are proof of a return to Orange Order Rule, with British Sinn Fein, being their fascist puppets and collaborators. The Truth Will Out! These activities, along with the secrets that are fuelling them, must be exposed to the Light of Day and it is the responsibilty of all those who stand in Solidarity with the Donnelly Family, to work consistently, to expose the Truth. Ultimately it is the Love of Ireland and it's People, as demonstrated by Volunteers like Bobby Sands, along with the Truth being exposed, that will set Ireland Free. Our Cause is noble and will prevail over the dark secrets of repression, that fuel these attacks. There is nothing more Powerful on the Face of this Earth, than the Unadulterated Truth, coupled with with what Mairead Farrell said, "Our Head is our Best Weapon." I call on all citizens of the Republic, to stand in Solidarity with the Donnelly family and their stand for exposing the truth about the collaborators of British repression. I used to believe the best way to fight fire was with fire. On this occasion, I would ask republicans to remember that we fight fire with water and by exposing the secrets of repression! I offer the Donnelly Family my full support and Solidarity and I call on all freedom loving people, to Boycott British Sinn Fein and all parties who have enabled and continue to enable Child Rape, Censorshup and brutal repression in Ireland on behalf of British Imperialism.
The Provisionals sent five of its party militia to attack the Donnelly family in their home in Derry city.
Michael Donnelly (49), his wife Martina (47), and two of their children, Niamh (10) and Caoimhe (6) arrived at the house at 11.10pm. Five minutes earlier they had been stopped by members of the British colonial police (RUC) and interrogated at length as to their movements that night, and in particular, if they would be going home soon.
Michael's son Deaglán (22), described the subsequent attack to SAOIRSE:
"My parents and sisters returned from a trip to buy milk. My other sister Úna (11), my fianceé Tina (22) and I were also at home and we were all in the living room. Exactly ten minutes later four masked men wearing combat clothing burst into the room and one shouted ‘IRA Provisionals'. One sprayed ‘mace' tear gas into my mother's eyes and into my little sisters' faces and started to beat my father.
"They had baseball bats studded with nails and iron crowbars. Niamh climbed on top of the armchair and jumped on one of the thugs to protect her Daddy, but he threw her to the ground and clubbed her on the leg with a nail-studded baseball bat.
"Úna then jumped across her father to protect him and her back was badly beaten. Caoimhe was still sitting on his knee and she was also beaten by the Provisional thugs.
"Despite the ferocity of the attack, my father made it to his feet and was able to tackle three Broy Harriers while I grabbed the fourth's iron bar and fought back. We were beating them out of the room towards the front door, but one pulled a revolver and fired a shot. We turned to protect the children and as my father stood over the girls they beat his back.
‘You cost us a seat, you bastard'
"We fought them out to the kitchen where they beat my father to the ground. One was shouting "you cost us a seat you bastard." I was still fighting the fourth one, but he pulled another revolver and shouted ‘stop or you're shot'.
"A fifth Broy Harrier, also carrying a baseball bat, then came into the kitchen. He was obviously the driver and was worried that the others were taking so long — they weren't expecting a fight. He came after me, along with the one who pulled the gun on me and another, but I got away and raised the alarm.
"They went back into the kitchen and all five cease-fire soldiers went about beating one unrepentant Republican, as he lay on the ground, for refusing to surrender his ideals. Although my father was now lying on the floor with a broken leg he wrenched a crowbar from one of them and kneecapped him with it. My mother tried to intervene, but one of them stuck his arm in her face and said ‘IRA Provisionals, fuck off'. Tina got to the phone and raised the alarm, the Broy Harriers left.
"Although five members of the Provisionals' party militia walked into our house two of them had to be carried out. Some of them fell on the driveway and one injured himself badly on some building blocks by falling on them. The blocks were covered in blood.
"The fascists escaped in a hijacked taxi which they dumped in Shantallow. Local people saw the car and have told us that its seats and floor are covered in blood. The Broy Harriers' blood shows the Provisionals' party militia have failed to break my father and it is common knowledge in Derry that they will never defeat Michael Donnelly, neither physically or politically.
"In 1971 my father was singled out for special torture by British police and the SAS. He was one of the longest serving internees and the last of the original internees of August 9, 1971, to be released. They failed to break him then.
"The new British policemen who attacked our family on June 28 learned the hard way that Michael Donnelly will not surrender to any British agent, whether that Brit be foreign born or a native imperialist.
"The Republican Sinn Féin boycott campaign was very successful and in Derry it lost the Provisionals one seat that they thought would easily be theirs, Gerry O'Hara's, while Mary Nelis only got in on the eight count. What saved her seat was the fact that she was in the SDLP until 1983 and got second preferences from SDLP voters. That is why they attacked our family.
"The Republican Movement is beating them politically and is exposing them as the British agents and quislings that they are."
McGuinness confronted by Martina Donnelly
The night following the attack Michael Donnelly's wife, Martina, confronted the Provisionals' leader in Derry, Martin McGuinness. Thinking that Martina had come to plead for clemency McGuinness naively invited Martina into his house but instead she questioned him about the fascist attack on her family on his own doorstep, in full public view.
McGuinness opened his door but stepped back into his hallway on recognising Martina. When she asked him why five members of his party beat her children and her husband with iron bars and baseball bats studded with nails, McGuinness replied, significantly, "I wasn't here."
He then stepped forward in what an eyewitness described as "an absolutely threatening manner" and proceeded to point his finger into Martina's face. He then said "Your husband has been calling me a traitor all around this town for the past twelve months".
After a slight pause Martina said "Oh, so that's why you did it". McGuinness did not deny this accusation and Martina said "Sure, that's all you are, Martin – a traitor and a collaborator. On Wednesday you'll be sitting with the British government in their assembly. In fact, you'll be part of the British government there."
McGuinness replied, "Keep your voice down. My children are inside" while his wife, Bernie shouted "Just shut the door on them". Martina then asked, "What about my children? You sent five masked men to spray gas into my children's eyes and to beat them and their father up." McGuinness then declared "I'm not listening to this" and slammed his door violently.
Martina then addressed him loudly through his open window repeating "child-beater", "collaborator" and stated "Sure, you'll be running the place for them on Wednesday".
On Wednesday, July 1, three days after the Provisionals attacked the Donnelly family in their home, Martin McGuinness signed himself into the British parliament at Stormont where he is now a colonial assemblyman.
Provisionals issue further threats
Since the Provisionals' vicious attack on the Donnellys the family has been harassed by the British colonial police (RUC) and the Provisional police. This harassment includes a threatening telephone call, made by a woman whose identity is known to Republican Sinn Féin.
Deaglán Ó Donghaile has also received threats, one issued by two individuals from the Provisional office in Creggan.
They stated that if they had gone to carry out the attack "Deaglán would not be walking now. But that doesn't matter because he is next anyway."
Both cease-fire soldiers went on to celebrate the fact that Michael's children had been sprayed with teargas and beaten, saying that "they deserved it for getting in the way".
An eol duit cad é féin?
Is ann dó ó thús ama,
Beidh sé linn go deireadh ré.
Rugadh é sularbh ann don domhan,
De phréamh na beatha é,
Ghearr sé anuas féithleoga an oilc
Le scian ghéar.
D’adhain sé tine sa dorchadas
A chuir lasair faoinár gcroí,
Dhein cruach de luaidhe na hintinne
Go síoraí.
Chaoin sé cois uiscí na Bablóine
Is nuair a bhí an dóchas gann
Scréach sé as corp réabtha
A bhí céasta ar Chrann.
Chuir an leon is an claíomh chun báis é
Sa tSean-Róimh fadó,
Ach ba chlos an focal Spartacus
Gan aon agó.
Le Wat Tyler sea do mháirseáil sé,
Chuir sceimhle ar thiarna is ar rí
Sceimhle a sheas ina súile
Mar mharbh-lí.
Aoibh air, naofa saonta,
Roimh an Conquistador,
Ceansa is neamheolach
Ar chumhacht an óir.
Réab sé trí shráideanna Pháras
Is d’ionsaigh an sean-Bhastille,
Shatail ar chloigeann na nathrach
gur fhág sé í gan bhrí.
Leagadh é ar Mhá na mBuabhall,
D’fhulaing ocras is plá,
Cuireadh a chroí i nGlúin Leonta -
Ach tiocfaidh a lá.
Ba chlos a liú thar lochanna Chiarraí
Is é ar a dhá ghlúin,
Is maraíodh é, a dhorn san aer,
Le croí fuar.
Is faightear é i lóchrann dóchais,
Níl teorainn lena réim,
I gcroí gach treibh is cine
Faoin ngréin.
Scréach na laochra ar lár
I súile na dtíoránach,
Ag réabadh trí na spéartha
Go dtí na beanna arda.
Soilsíonn an cillín uaigneach seo
Lena dhóchas, lena neart,
An smaoineamh úd, dochloíte
Below is and account of Nazi Fascism, sponsored by
the British in Occupied Ireland, post Peace Process. A Proper Peace Process has Truth & Reconciliation, followed by Consent as in South Africa. Obviously there are many dark secrets, that are afraid of the Light of Day. This is the Blueshirts all over again, albeit in a slightly more covert form. This is NOT, what Irish Freedom Fighters died for. On the Anniversary of the murder of Bobby Sands, we can be eertain, that He and his 9 comrades, did not give their lives for this. Ireland and the Process are as sick as it's secrets. The Internment of Dee Fennell and his comrades, are proof of a return to Orange Order Rule, with British Sinn Fein, being their fascist puppets and collaborators. The Truth Will Out! These activities, along with the secrets that are fuelling them, must be exposed to the Light of Day and it is the responsibilty of all those who stand in Solidarity with the Donnelly Family, to work consistently, to expose the Truth. Ultimately it is the Love of Ireland and it's People, as demonstrated by Volunteers like Bobby Sands, along with the Truth being exposed, that will set Ireland Free. Our Cause is noble and will prevail over the dark secrets of repression, that fuel these attacks. There is nothing more Powerful on the Face of this Earth, than the Unadulterated Truth, coupled with with what Mairead Farrell said, "Our Head is our Best Weapon." I call on all citizens of the Republic, to stand in Solidarity with the Donnelly family and their stand for exposing the truth about the collaborators of British repression. I used to believe the best way to fight fire was with fire. On this occasion, I would ask republicans to remember that we fight fire with water and by exposing the secrets of repression! I offer the Donnelly Family my full support and Solidarity and I call on all freedom loving people, to Boycott British Sinn Fein and all parties who have enabled and continue to enable Child Rape, Censorshup and brutal repression in Ireland on behalf of British Imperialism.
Vicious attack on Republican family
The Provisionals sent five of its party militia to attack the Donnelly family in their home in Derry city.
Michael Donnelly (49), his wife Martina (47), and two of their children, Niamh (10) and Caoimhe (6) arrived at the house at 11.10pm. Five minutes earlier they had been stopped by members of the British colonial police (RUC) and interrogated at length as to their movements that night, and in particular, if they would be going home soon.
Michael's son Deaglán (22), described the subsequent attack to SAOIRSE:
"My parents and sisters returned from a trip to buy milk. My other sister Úna (11), my fianceé Tina (22) and I were also at home and we were all in the living room. Exactly ten minutes later four masked men wearing combat clothing burst into the room and one shouted ‘IRA Provisionals'. One sprayed ‘mace' tear gas into my mother's eyes and into my little sisters' faces and started to beat my father.
"They had baseball bats studded with nails and iron crowbars. Niamh climbed on top of the armchair and jumped on one of the thugs to protect her Daddy, but he threw her to the ground and clubbed her on the leg with a nail-studded baseball bat.
"Úna then jumped across her father to protect him and her back was badly beaten. Caoimhe was still sitting on his knee and she was also beaten by the Provisional thugs.
"Despite the ferocity of the attack, my father made it to his feet and was able to tackle three Broy Harriers while I grabbed the fourth's iron bar and fought back. We were beating them out of the room towards the front door, but one pulled a revolver and fired a shot. We turned to protect the children and as my father stood over the girls they beat his back.
‘You cost us a seat, you bastard'
"We fought them out to the kitchen where they beat my father to the ground. One was shouting "you cost us a seat you bastard." I was still fighting the fourth one, but he pulled another revolver and shouted ‘stop or you're shot'.
"A fifth Broy Harrier, also carrying a baseball bat, then came into the kitchen. He was obviously the driver and was worried that the others were taking so long — they weren't expecting a fight. He came after me, along with the one who pulled the gun on me and another, but I got away and raised the alarm.
"They went back into the kitchen and all five cease-fire soldiers went about beating one unrepentant Republican, as he lay on the ground, for refusing to surrender his ideals. Although my father was now lying on the floor with a broken leg he wrenched a crowbar from one of them and kneecapped him with it. My mother tried to intervene, but one of them stuck his arm in her face and said ‘IRA Provisionals, fuck off'. Tina got to the phone and raised the alarm, the Broy Harriers left.
"Although five members of the Provisionals' party militia walked into our house two of them had to be carried out. Some of them fell on the driveway and one injured himself badly on some building blocks by falling on them. The blocks were covered in blood.
"The fascists escaped in a hijacked taxi which they dumped in Shantallow. Local people saw the car and have told us that its seats and floor are covered in blood. The Broy Harriers' blood shows the Provisionals' party militia have failed to break my father and it is common knowledge in Derry that they will never defeat Michael Donnelly, neither physically or politically.
"In 1971 my father was singled out for special torture by British police and the SAS. He was one of the longest serving internees and the last of the original internees of August 9, 1971, to be released. They failed to break him then.
"The new British policemen who attacked our family on June 28 learned the hard way that Michael Donnelly will not surrender to any British agent, whether that Brit be foreign born or a native imperialist.
"The Republican Sinn Féin boycott campaign was very successful and in Derry it lost the Provisionals one seat that they thought would easily be theirs, Gerry O'Hara's, while Mary Nelis only got in on the eight count. What saved her seat was the fact that she was in the SDLP until 1983 and got second preferences from SDLP voters. That is why they attacked our family.
"The Republican Movement is beating them politically and is exposing them as the British agents and quislings that they are."
McGuinness confronted by Martina Donnelly
The night following the attack Michael Donnelly's wife, Martina, confronted the Provisionals' leader in Derry, Martin McGuinness. Thinking that Martina had come to plead for clemency McGuinness naively invited Martina into his house but instead she questioned him about the fascist attack on her family on his own doorstep, in full public view.
McGuinness opened his door but stepped back into his hallway on recognising Martina. When she asked him why five members of his party beat her children and her husband with iron bars and baseball bats studded with nails, McGuinness replied, significantly, "I wasn't here."
He then stepped forward in what an eyewitness described as "an absolutely threatening manner" and proceeded to point his finger into Martina's face. He then said "Your husband has been calling me a traitor all around this town for the past twelve months".
After a slight pause Martina said "Oh, so that's why you did it". McGuinness did not deny this accusation and Martina said "Sure, that's all you are, Martin – a traitor and a collaborator. On Wednesday you'll be sitting with the British government in their assembly. In fact, you'll be part of the British government there."
McGuinness replied, "Keep your voice down. My children are inside" while his wife, Bernie shouted "Just shut the door on them". Martina then asked, "What about my children? You sent five masked men to spray gas into my children's eyes and to beat them and their father up." McGuinness then declared "I'm not listening to this" and slammed his door violently.
Martina then addressed him loudly through his open window repeating "child-beater", "collaborator" and stated "Sure, you'll be running the place for them on Wednesday".
On Wednesday, July 1, three days after the Provisionals attacked the Donnelly family in their home, Martin McGuinness signed himself into the British parliament at Stormont where he is now a colonial assemblyman.
Provisionals issue further threats
Since the Provisionals' vicious attack on the Donnellys the family has been harassed by the British colonial police (RUC) and the Provisional police. This harassment includes a threatening telephone call, made by a woman whose identity is known to Republican Sinn Féin.
Deaglán Ó Donghaile has also received threats, one issued by two individuals from the Provisional office in Creggan.
They stated that if they had gone to carry out the attack "Deaglán would not be walking now. But that doesn't matter because he is next anyway."
Both cease-fire soldiers went on to celebrate the fact that Michael's children had been sprayed with teargas and beaten, saying that "they deserved it for getting in the way".
